Trust the process.
Lisa’s tattoo (ironically also one of her first, badly self-poked tattoos)
Since I was about 15, this was my favorite quote. I learned it in my dance school, where the whole group shouted “Not YET” through the room every time somebody became frustrated because something did not work.
At 18, one of my first tattoos was “trust the process” – a motto that reminded me every day since then that I can do almost everything if I keep working hard and trusting the process.
Process and mistakes go together – perfectionism is a lie. I want us all to be power-humans of mediocrity. Embrace the suck, do things horribly – but do them and move forward. This life is a one of a time chance to try out as many things as possible, find your passions (yes – multiple if you want), and make an impact.
Everyone thinks I am crazy
My friends, family, and my boyfriend often think I am crazy. Sometimes I believe I am not fully sane myself. I always want to change the world for the better, I am an avid sports enthusiast, I have at least 3 new projects every time I meet one of them again, AND I somehow manage to get at 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Is that even possible?
Yes it is – because I set myself up to succeed with patterns, routines, and ways to work to be as effective as possible. But my definition of success changed as well. I do not have to be perfect at something to enjoy it and to actually start it. (You might here also insert a rant about how capitalist definitions of success often imply the monetarization of everything)
A few examples:
- When I started freelancing, I went into the market with 1 1/2 LinkedIn Course certificates, a bit of advanced writing experience from high school, and my old primary school teacher in my ear telling me “You will be an author when you grow up.” – I learned on the way and now teach others how to start and make my income through my own business.
- After my year abroad in France, I bike-packed 500km back to Germany. I had no idea what I was doing. I used a road bike and 50% of my bags were fastened with tension straps – it was one of the greatest summers I’ve ever had and I learned a lot about myself.
- My newest project is triathlons. I really suck at swimming, I am missing approximately half the things you normally “need” to do triathlons and I have only done one BRICK-workout (combined workouts) in my entire life. Still, I am certain that within a few years, I will not only finish an Ironman but even run a good time.
The process to a better society
In this wasteland of late-stage capitalism, it is easy to be fed up with politics. Maybe I like it hard? Politics is one of my, if not THE biggest passion. I study political science and my art is also made with the goal to transform the world for the better.
The sentence “The private is public” first issued in the feminist movement continues to be true, which is why the combination of individual or collective self-care & self-development and political development is by no means hypocritical. Especially with individualist tendencies in society, it is important to keep in mind the fact that our individual fates are not only caused by our own actions.
